Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED.
HAVEN'T EVEN PACKED YET. LOL.

it's going to be so cool, spending 8 days with the awesome dancers! :)
this is gonna be such a new experience for me and i can't wait.
should start spending more time in packing. after all, it's only 9 more days! ^^

♥ Rachael.
-29 Nov 2010.

To dancers From Mr M

Hey Dancers!
Just a little reminder about our Italia Homework!
Anyways, Mr M just wanted me to post this email of
his so that we won't forget! :D
Luv, Dianne


Dear parents,

Thank you for your incredible support for this Italy trip. We are honoured that you have placed your children in our care and trusted us to bring them back home. We hope that the stories they share with you will reflect their inspiration and learning in the places that they have visited and their history, the dance workshops and also, about themselves.

However, their learning journey has not yet ended. They still need to consolidate their learning and prepare their deliverables. The school, along with you, has invested much in this trip and the dancers are responsible to share their learning to all. In doing this, they will continue to affect the culture in the school positively. The dancers have been briefed to prepare the following:

1. Digitalised Reflection Journal
Dancers are to take a nicely-framed picture of each page of their reflection journal and submit them. They are to ensure that the quality is sufficient for the handwriting to be legible when zoomed in. This way, their inspired reflections can be used while they still hang on to the originals. They are to ensure that the last entry of the journal should include the answers (at least half an A5 page per question) to the following questions:

a) In this learning journey, what has inspired you? What does it make you want to do? (There can be more than one inspiration.)
b) Have you learnt something about yourself in this trip that you would NOT have learnt at home?
c) "Dance is a universal language". By using the second dance workshop in Florence for your reference, state three examples how this is so.
d) By looking at the life and works of Michelangelo (for example, the Sistine Chapel or the statue of David), what do you understand about passion?

2. Pictures and videos
Dancers are to prepare and submit all their pictures and videos (including videos of interviews) of the trip. Just as with the digitalised reflection journal, these will be used for their blog and assembly presentation next year. These will be further utilised in the school Manna issues, school magazine, school marketing in primary schools and school (cca) open house. They are encouraged to share all as each dancer has a different perspective of the same place/event and hence, their unique pictures are appreciated - especially those that are emotionally charged (happiness, sadness, awe, etc) and show their trademarks (ask them about it!).

3. Blog updates
Dancers are to update the Italia blog (http://aesdancers-italia2010.blogspot.com/) as it will be linked to the school website. Each dancer is to upload at least one post per day of the trip, hence, a total of 9 posts per dancer or 15 posts per day or 135 posts in 9 days. Dancers will find this process easy if they have finished the above two deliverables as they can just upload their journals, pictures and videos.

4. Assembly presentation
Dancers are to prepare a 20-minute presentation on their learning journey for the lower secondary and upper secondary assemblies by the second week of January. The presentation should include several presenters, PowerPoint slides, pictures, videos and interviews. The presentation should focus on what they have learnt on this trip and what they are inspired to apply in school. This will also help with the recruitment of the Sec 1 students as it is held during Orientation Week and just before the CCA Open House. This process will be easy if they have finished the above three deliverables.

Some of the above deliverables have been suggested by the Principal and the others discussed. Hence, he is expecting them from the dancers as proof of their learning. All of the above deliverables are DUE BY TUESDAY, 28 DEC, 10 AM. I will be in school to accept their soft-copies and to vet their 1st draft of the Assembly presentation.

Dear parent, please help to ensure that the dancers deliver their homework as I am required to submit all of it to the Principal by the last week of December. You will find that all of these are easily accomplished in the time given except the assembly presentation, which require some of them to meet at least once to complete their first draft (which they can on the 27 Dec, when their dance training begins after the break). Thank you for your cooperation to complete this learning process.

Yours sincerely,
Andre' Isidore Michael

Sunday, December 19, 2010

unexcited much.

Everyone is, but I ain't
Everyone is, but i'm not.
A day before take off and
my luggage is untouched.
A day before take off and
it feels like any other day.


Everyone's talkin about the upcoming Italy trip-
what they're gonna wear, what they're gonna bring, what they're gonna do and all..
But I didn't feel the hurry to talk much about it even if it was just a few days before the trip.
I learnt from past experiences not to expect anything at all,
as things may turn out disappointing if you expect too much.
I decided to let things take its own course and journey through
the cities of Italy(Italia), namely:
Rome(Roma), Florence(Firenze), Venice(Venezia), Milan(Milano)
with an open mind and a thoughtful heart! ;D

~MaryN
8/12/2010

Friday, December 3, 2010